The Meatless Monday campaign has partnered with Whitsons Culinary Group (a provider of nutrition services for public schools) to provide meatless options to 95 school districts across the Northeast!

Kelly Friend, Chief Operating Officer of Whitsons, expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership, saying, “Whitsons is proud to be a part of the Meatless Monday campaign. It perfectly complements our Simply Rooted™ philosophy of promoting healthy foods, a healthy environment, and balanced diets … We are not taking away the option of meat on Mondays, we are simply making sure we are featuring and promoting a student-friendly vegetarian option. When students are looking for something hearty like a burger, we encourage them to try vegetarian burger options such as our classic garden or black bean burger. We prepare them just like we would a traditional burger and offer a variety of healthy toppings to keep it interesting.”

And the kids are happy about the change, as recent surveys conducted by Whitsons show students are interested in meatless and plant-based options.

Cherry Dumaual, Partnerships Director at The Monday Campaigns, stated, “Our collaboration with Whitsons School Nutrition will provide students and staff in over 95 school districts in the Northeast with delicious meatless options every Monday throughout the school year. We hope the implementation of Meatless Monday in schools with Whitsons dining services will inspire students to start each week taking small steps that can instill healthy habits for life.”

It is so great to see healthy eating habits being encouraged at schools. With the younger generations driving the plant-based movement (nearly half of millennials opt for meat-free meals due to environmental concerns and Generation Z favors plant-based options too) and having many vegan celebrities as their influences, it has never been easier to get kids to eat their vegetables. By bringing vegetarian and vegan options to schools, students are not only getting nutrient-packed meals, but they are learning healthy eating habits they can bring back home and share with their families and continue to carry on with them, paving the way to a plant-based future. And of course, a healthy body is directly linked to a healthy mind, and healthy students make better students.

Ready to learn more about the benefits of going plant-based? Check out the Eat for the Planet book, filled with facts and images, it is suitable for all ages!

Image Source: Pixabay